Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Review: Android's Alternative To The iPhone 6

Sony updated its Android line-up at the Berlin IFA and introduced two new Android-powered smartphones. The new flagship was the Xperia Z3 (reviewed here on Forbes) and it followed the trend for larger-screened smartphones. The Z3 Compact is the smartphone for everybody else. It has almost all the power of its larger parent, but in a smaller size and with better battery life.

Design And Positioning

The Z3 Compact builds on the success of the Z1 Compact (reviewed here previously on Forbes). Personally I'm not convinced by the 'compact' designation handed to these devices. The 4.6 inch screen is certainly smaller than most 'standard' handsets that are currently available, at least in the medium and high-end of the smartphone market, but it's a far cry from the days of the 4 inch screened smartphones that were (in my opinion) a good balance between being pocketable and powerful.

That said, I don't think that an Android device that is looking to be powerful can sport a screen much smaller than the 4.6 inch screen that Sony has designed this handset around. With high-density screens becoming the norm, it's possible to pack a huge amount of information onto the display, and clarity can sometimes be lost. Luckily there is a setting to increase the font size used by the interface to compensate for the high DPI and small screen factors, which is useful for my tired eyes.

The main issue that the small size generates is the keyboard. With a screen width of just 2.25 inch, there's not a lot of space for the on-screen qwerty keyboard. Compared to the wider screen on the parent Xperia Z3 I find it much harder to type using the gesture input (where you slide your finger between keys to spell a word), and resorted to using the tap-to-type method. This is slower, albeit more accurate, and it's the main reason that I don't think a small smartphone could be any narrower than the Z3 Compact and still retain a high level of effectiveness.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (l) and Xperia Z3 (r) (image: Ewan Spence)

Measuring 127.3 x 64.9 x 8.6 mm, the Z3 Compact is slightly smaller than last year's Moto X (one of my favourite 'compact' handsets) and fits comfortably inside the screen dimensions of the iPhone 6. It's not a svelte design though. It's crazy to say that 8.6 mm is thick, but compared to the majority of handsets announced in 2014, the Z3 Compact does feel like a thick handset. Could Sony have compromised here? Possibly, but as you'll see from the specs, the extra volume inside the chassis is critical to the success of the handset.

Sony updated the styling on the Xperia Z3 to provide a more rounded edge to the flagship handset and the addition of plastic at the corners to help absorb any impact damage. For the Z3 Compact, Sony has retained the strengthened glass on the front and rear of the smartphone, and the edge of the Z3 Compact is the same hard plastic as the corners of the Z3 flagship. This provides a slightly better grip, and presumably a little bit more 'give' to absorb impact damage. It has more of a curve than the Z1 Compact, but not as much curve as the Z3 parent. Sony's iterative approach to updating its Omni-Balance design has left the Z3 Compact design somewhere between the Z1 and the Z3.

I have my suspicions that the Z3 Compact was designed as the Z2 Compact - a model number that was curiously missing from Sony's line-up in the first half of the year. Given the length of time it took the Z1 Compact to reach consumers, making the decision to push the then Z2 into the Z3 slot so sales of the Z1 Compact would not be cannibalized is an attractive idea.

Given Sony has leaned heavily to an iterative design process with small changes made every six months or so, the Z3 Compact does not feel left behind. In fact one of the biggest strengths of this handset is that it matches the flagship it is mimicking in almost every respect, and in some cases overhauls the parent phone.

Features and Specifications

A quick reminder on the Xperia Z3 specs might be in order here: a 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. The Z3 Compact sports a 2.5 GHz Snapdraagon 801 prices, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. In terms of grunt, only the smaller level of RAM in the Compact than the flagship makes a difference. If you are looking for ultimate performance, perhaps in gaming and large documents, the lower RAM is a slight hindrance for the Z3 Compact. In practice I found no discernible difference in operation between the two handsets.

It's also worth nothing that the smaller pixel count on the screen reduces some of the demand for memory, and the one-third drop in memory will also help preserve battery life.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (image: Ewan Spence)

Sony has stuffed a 2600 mAh battery into the Z3 Compact, compared to the 3100 mAh battery in the flagship. With the reduced memory and the lower demand for power to light up the larger 5.2 inch screen on the Z3, the Z3 Compact has a better battery life in terms of standby and basic use. For normal users, the Z3 Compact gets slightly better battery life than the flagship - but again if you start pushing the envelope of features, then the missing 500 mAh will be noticeable.

The battery preserving Stamina mode is also available in the Z3 Compact. This will extend your uptime by aggressively turning off features when they are not needed (for example, dropping internet connections when the screen is off, reducing the backlighting, switching off extra processing on the screen for clarity and colour tones. It does give up some capability of the handset in terms of speed of use, but with Stamina mode on, I found that getting three days out of a single charge was a comfortable goal, and with a bit of careful effort the Z3 Compact could run for four days between charges. In regular use the Z3 Compact comfortably worked through the day, and with careful management could just about make it through a second day before needing a recharge.

Ultra Stamina is also present, which turns off almost every smartphone feature, handing you a feature phone with basic PDA, Messaging, and connectivity... which Sony state will go for nine days between charging.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (image: Ewan Spence)

The Z3 Compact continues Sony's desire for waterproof and dustproof smartphones, and carries the same IP65/68 certification as the Z3 - which means the Z3 Compact is dust tight, protected against low pressure jets of water, and can be kept under four and a half feet of water (1.5m) for thirty minutes. Thanks to a physical camera shutter button, underwater photography is a distinct possibility, although as with all of Sony's waterproof handsets, the SIM card cover and the USB/Micro SD cover need to be securely closed. You do get a pop-up warning when you first leave the flaps open, and the lines of the design mean it is easy to spot when either cover is not flush with the chassis.

The waterproofing is practical, and provides a nice level of piece of mind. I do know that when reviewing the iPhone 6 Plus, I was conscious that this was not even a splash proof handset.

Screen Display

Probably the most impressive trick of the Z3 Compact over the Z1 Compact is the screen. The latter handset had a 4.3 inch IPS LCD screen, but the newer Z3 Compact sports a 4.6 inch IPS LCD screen without increasing the footprint of the whole smartphone. Sony has shrunk the size of the bezels to accommodate the larger screen. This makes the phone more attractive to use, and when coupled with the reduced weight and the slightly smaller size, really makes the Z3 Compact an attractive upgrade from the Z1 Compact.

What Sony has not done is altered the resolution. It's still a 720p HD screen at 720 x 1280 pixels (that's a density of 319 pixels per inch). Just as Sony has not pushed for the ultimate pixel size on the Z3 flagship, the Z3 Compact doesn't push hard on the screen numbers.

It's an interesting call when the rest of Sony's package focuses on delivering the highest specifications possible. Cheaper devices have more pixels and a higher pixel density, and that's more immediately obvious than the top-end processor.

Instead Sony is relying on the display technology to create a better looking display that's not always about the pixels. That means the LCD has an extra depth to the blackness compared to other smartphone screens. Sony's Bravia technology pushes the contrast and the brightness of the on-screen colours. Sony has certainly raised the levels of brightness without losing the blackness of the dark colours.

Camera

Anyone comparing numbers will enjoy the 20.7 megapixels provided by the camera. It's the same unit as found in the Z3 flagship, with wide-angle 25mm G lens.

As noted in the Xperia Z3 review, Sony's software is not the most accessible for new users, and it will require some time to get used to it. Yes, there is an automatic mode which many users will rely on, but it's not brilliant on white balance. The manual modes offer far more opportunity for shutterbugs to experiment with the camera, and even with a few issues, the automatic mode is going to be more than sufficient for pictures to share on social networks and family albums.

While the software is similar to the Z3, by including the same software in the Z3 Compact, Sony continues to promote the impression of the Compact as being a high-end smartphone for professionals, and not a cut-down version using the brand name.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (image: Ewan Spence)

Going For A Walkman

With the headphone socket waterproofed inside, there's no need to have an awkward cover flap over the socket. This keeps the nice lines on the handset, and is very user-friendly. Being a Sony device you have the Walkman branded media player for music and video needs. This sits alongside the regular Android choices, including Google Play.

Naturally Sony would prefer you to use its music and video 'Unlimited' subscription services, but you do have the choice to install and use others, as the handset is not locked down with a 'Sony or nothing' option.

With two front facing stereo speakers, the Z3 Compact is loud when you start to play back music. The loudness, coupled with the small size of the speakers will show up any imperfections in the audio file, and if you have an MP3 collection with 128 Kbit or lower files, the compression artefacts will become obvious at higher volumes as the music can start to break up. It's a good argument both for higher quality MP3s or Sony's High-Res audio format that is supported in the handset.

Sony's Android Implementation

Software wise, the Z3 Compact and the Z3 are identical. Sony has not strayed far from the stock Android implementation supplied by Google. The home screen implementation is easier to edit, with all the applications, widgets, wallpapers, and themes, available in a picker at the bottom of the screen. Neither are widgets mixed in with the apps when editing your home screens.

Otherwise Sony leave Android along to get on with the job, so your setting screens, dialogs, notifications, window managers, and UI elements are all as expected. Switching from another Android device to this handset should result in a relatively low learning curve.

As mentioned, Sony has added some value though additional software. The Walkman media player and subscription services are to be expected. Sony's 'What's New' application and widget looks through the media stores to give you suggestions on content to buy for your device. It's a subtle touch from Sony to push content, and in the modern smartphone world it's a common play, but it still feels a touch impolite.

Sony has also include support for PS4 Remote Play, but this won't be active until later in the year.

Conclusions

Sony's Z1 Compact smartphone shook up the 'compact' handsets by matching as many flagship specifications as possible. The Z3 Compact picks up that challenge and is a notable improvement over that first handset. The increased screen size is welcome, making everything just a little less cramped. I can live with the slightly lower density of pixels, in return for the smaller bezels.

The fact that the handset is lighter and smaller than its predecessor is a good thing. It's not a thin phone by fashionable standards, but the extra millimetre or two allows for a larger battery, better heat dissipation, and therefore more performance. It's a trade-off many people ask for instead of the current trend for thin phones. I'm glad that Sony has continued the Compact range to offer this as a choice.

But forget the positioning in Sony's portfolio, as a standalone smartphone the Z3 Compact is a powerful handset in a wonderfully small package. It's a subtle phone in use and light to carry. The vast majority of features can be reached with your thumb, creating a single-handed Android experience.

Not everyone wants an enormous phablet, and the current trend to push flagship smartphones beyond five-inch screens leaves very little choice for customers not wanting to follow that trend. The Sony Xperia Z3 provides an alternative to the monster smartphones, with very few compromises in performance or presentation.

I am known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has have on the public conscious and existing businesses.I've been following this space for over ten years, working with a number of publishers, publications and media companies, some f...